The Rain Has Secrets
by Victoria Breckon
Summary: When it rains, true colors are released. Hunting styles are different, and no one is safe with a future-predicting pixie and a ex-military general when they're as hungry for blood as they are acceptance.
1. 1 And When It Rains

Glancing out the window, I found a light trance of rain begin to emerge suddenly out of dreary grey rain cloud. A small curve bent my once-cheery smile, and I soon found myself staring off into a space that only I could see. This was no help. Everything in the vision was blurry, images darting so fast that I could barely make out what the image was before it sped off to the next one like a game of hot potato. This was clearly an uncanny statement to tell me that something was wrong. Something dreadful.

Or maybe I was just overanalyzing everything again. Possessing the power to predict what would soon become present wasn't always a gift, but a curse. It drove me wild some times, and this was clearly one. I hated being uncertain, especially when I was used to having a good grip on most things that were bound to take place sooner or later. I lightly hopped off of my bed and silently pranced down the stairs, arriving to the family room.

Carlisle and Esme had once again rearranged the furniture, giving them "a new sense of style and life, since our lives will never change the way human's do", I had once overheard them telling a curious Emmett. The couch now had its back turned to the west staircase, a burgundy coffee table with a glass bowl of dark purple and an opposite brown providing more of a perfume to the house than was already there. A few portraits, one from nearly each of the family members, hung artistically around the huge room, strategically placed. There were a few more chairs and a loveseat also around the room, their burgundy and tan color matching quite well with the accented carpet. The scene in the living room was also quite normal; Edward had his fingers gliding effortlessly across the keys of our grand piano, a newly thought up tune gracing the ears of those around him. Rosalie was sitting, right leg over left, on a huge chair, reading the latest copy of _Glamour_. Emmett was next to her, watching the Cubs and Yankees game with Carlisle while Esme sat next to her husband, interested in watching me.

I smiled at her, trying my best to grace her with a smile. "Alice, is there anything you need, dear?"

Smiling again, I rocked back and forth on my heels. In a high soprano voice I replied, "I was just wondering where Jasper was." I tried not to show my disappointment and concern.  
This time it was Emmet who responded. "I saw him a few hours ago." He said, his eyes ungluing themselves from the television to look at me for a few seconds. "'Said something about needing to hunt or something."

I truly could not hide my emotions behind a smile anymore. My face contorted into a worried expression, my smile flopping down towards my tiny chin, and my heart sank. Jasper always had me accompany him when he went to hunt. He was so new to this lifestyle; We were in a more populated area now, and more humans were about. Of course I had 150% faith in my Jasper, yet another factor came into play: It was raining outside. He had once told me that rain was the worst time for him. "The scent carries more on the air, mixing in the sweet smell of rain. It does absolutely nothing for my thirst but increase it." He had said. I bit my lip and soon found myself pulling on my raincoat and boots. Unbuttoning the last button, I stopped midway, a vision gracing me.

_Jasper leaned over the empty-eyed mortal, tears of hatred and grief spilling from his hating eyes._

"Alice?" Carlisle asked, turning to look at me. "Alice, dear, is everything okay? What did you see?"

"I'll tell you once I get back." I told him urgently, hoping that Edward would not tell them what had passed so terribly through my mind. Jerking open the door, I ran out into the pouring rain and followed his scent until I found myself on the top of a hill, overlooking a field of freshly cut grass, a pasture of cows, and a picturesque barn house, painted red with white shutters and doors. "Jasper!" I called desperately, toppling down the hill as I grew closer and closer to his scent.

I was led to the open front door and up a flight of stairs. My vision soon came true to my terrible realization. Jasper was knelt down above a few mortals, their bodies sucked dry of life and blood, each strewn a few feet from one another. I could tell he could sense I was near, and instantly turned around to stare at me with pained, sorrowful eyes.

Soon, he was shaking with sobs of remorse and hate, of inner, self-constructed hatred and regret. I rushed over to him, cradling him in my arms like a baby. I ran him up to the top of the hill, all the while whispering softly in his ear.

I sat down on the hill, holding him close to me, resting his head against my shoulder. Stroking his hair, I watched as his face slowly looked up to me. "I am such a horrible monster." He said in a dead, kill me now type of voice. "But I just couldn't help it." His voice broke and a new wave of tears flowed freely from his eyes.

"Shhh," I told him, resting my nose on his.

"How can I possibly be quiet?" He asked rhetorically, biting his lip painfully as he dug his nails hard into his palm. "I killed innocent people? And why? Because I'm the weakest! I just needed the blood, needed the comfort, and I couldn't contain or control myself! I know you believe in me, Alice, but the thing is, you need to leave me! I'm not right for you; I'm not right for anyone. I'm going to go to Hell, if I'm not condemned to torture forever. You don't deserve me. You don't, Alice! You need someone who can c-control themselves, who can be a proper gentlemen and not fail you! Don't you see?! I've failed you!"

Once again, he began to shake with tears. I rubbed short little circles on his shoulder blades. "Jasper, I need you to listen to me." I told him with a firm, yet loving voice. "We've all killed innocent people. We're all weak. We all feel like we can't control ourselves, and every single one of us has gone through what you're going through. And don't you dare tell me that you're not right for me, or that I don't deserve someone like you. I _need_ you. Who cares about deserving someone; if you need someone, you can't live without you. Don't you see, Jazz, I can't go on without you. You filled my life with a sunshine that had never been there before. " I continued to rub his shoulder, continuing. "You are my gentlemen, and no one could ever come close to replacing you. And never… Never say you've failed me. You've done far from! And you needn't feel ashamed to ask me to go hunting with you if you need to go, baby. I'd whether go with you all the time than not. It's our duty to protect each other."

I glanced down at him with amber eyes, noticing that his were now a deep crimson. I kissed his nose softly, removing plastered hair from his forehead. "Please, Jazz, you have to trust me."

The rain had now subsided. It was just us, the grass, and the world. "Trust me."

"I d-do." He replied in a shaky voice. "It's myself that I don't trust."

I could tell he was dealing with some serious internal battle, one that I would only have to wait to help him with. The time would come, I could tell, I just couldn't be sure of when. "Well, I trust you. Shouldn't that be enough?"

Jasper didn't answer, yet stood up before offering a hand to help me up. I took it willingly, just as he had done with me so many years ago in the famous diner. "All I want to do is be in your arms." He told me finally.

"Alright," I answered, smiling smally up at him. "Let's go home."


	2. 2 Waves of Comfort Will Seek You

Alice POV.

Edward may not have revealed my vision to the rest of our newly-acquired family, but they definitely knew something serious had taken place as we walked through the doorway gripping each other's hands. I unbuttoned my raincoat and squelched out of my boots, acting as though everything was perfectly normal throughout the awkward tension that had filled the air.

_Please, please Edward, let us tell the rest when we're ready._ I plead silently, gazing at him with flaming eyes. _We need to be alone. Please._

From the corner of my eye I saw him curtly nod, though he kept it inconspicuous. The silence stretched on; My eyes were glued on nothing in particular for a few seconds as I tried to figure out what would happen in the near future. Everything was uncertain, and I soon was forced back into reality.

"If there's anything either of you need," Carlisle stated, finally breaking the quiet. "Please don't hesitate to ask." A warm smile was on his lips as his eyes shifted from Jasper to me and back again.

"Yes, sir." My troubled sweetheart replied gently, his crimson eyes meeting the golden ones of our father for a brief second. "Thank you." He looked back at me, and I was soon making my way up the stairs to our bedroom.

I closed the door softly behind us, and sat myself quietly down on our unnecessary king bed. Outstretching my arms, I waited for Jasper to fill the empty gap. As he did, I felt his arms wrap themselves around my waist; His legs found a 90 degree angle above mine, and his head rested on my chest, the top of it hiding in the crook of my pale neck, his ear plastered softly to where my beating heart should be.

"Jazz?" I murmured softly in my high pitched voice. A single spindly finger made its way to my lips, stroking it softly and only once; This was his indication that he was listening. I knew he was embarrassed and ashamed – a deadly duo—to show me his eyes, for fear of "scaring me" or "disgusting me", however far from the truth those two worries were. "No one said that this was going to be easy."

A long sigh hushed through him, and he nuzzled his head closer to my chest. "I know, Alice." He finally murmured in a dead voice, one nothing like his usual. His tone suggested that he wanted the remainder of time here to be silence, and I granted him this simple reward. I held Jasper close in my arms, never letting go. Sometimes I would kiss the top of his honey golden locks, others I would merely stroke his shoulder or neck or back. Nothing could describe the urge I had to examine his arm and trace his merging scars, forever inked on his skin like an unwanted tattoo of torture.

Hours passed, and it seemed like we could continue the rest of time like this. To my dismay, however, he slowly got up, kissing my petite cheek softly. "Thank you." He whispered, his eyes burning with some unknown feeling I had managed not to pick up on. I nodded softly and watched as Jasper picked up what seemed to be albums and walk out of the room.

Jasper's POV.  
I forced myself through the hallway, only to come face to face with what I feared most. Esme was standing at the end of the hallway, folding towels in a strategically placed linen closet. She smiled up at me, standing up and pushing a few strands of hair out of her eyes. "Hello Jasper." She greeted, another warm smile lighting up the already fluorescent hallway.

"Hello."

Another wave of tears threatened to spill from my eyes. The fury and inner hatred was already brewing low in my stomach, its unpleasant feeling giving me the strange sensation of food poisoning. I tried to shake the feeling off, and was approached by my new motherly figure. "Jasper, if there's anything you need—"

"Not to be rude, ma'am, but there's really something I'd like to show you if you have a free minute."

She seemed almost unnaturally happy that her newest son wanted to share something with her, I gathered with my curse of a power. "I'd love to see it." Esme replied in a warm voice. "Come to the guest room, we can sit and talk."  
I nodded, following her on a walk of fate.

Reaching the room, I stood there awkwardly as she sat down casually on the edge of a bed meant for a guest that may never show up. She patted the spot of spare sheet next to her, and I soon sat down. "I'd like to show you where I'm from." I started nervously, opening the antique leather photo book I had brought with me.

The first page had a letter from my mother and father inked on the hard backing of the book, describing the year and date this book had been given to me. I flipped through a few pages, finding the one I had been searching for. "This was my house." I said, pointing to a fading, black and white photograph of a small farmhouse. Next to the house made of chopped down wood was a pasture, many cows and chickens and horses grazing lazily in the tall grass. "And this—" I pointed to my family portrait—"Was my family."

My finger landed on the women first. She had quite a stocky frame, and was by far the shortest in the preserved image. Eyes that dealt cards of tough labor and work ethic, along with tender love and a need for honesty were placed nearly perfect on a face of tan. A thin smile was printed on her lips. The next man, to the right, was my father. He was tall and gangly, apart from my mother. His hair was tied back in a short ponytail, his blond locks accenting the tan, out-in-the-fields look he portrayed. His eyes were sparkling. I was in the middle of the photograph, around the age of twelve. Most of my dominant traits I had gained from my father, because I was nearly a spitting image of him. However, looking closely, I could tell that I had the personality of my mother by the way my smile curved.

"And that's you in the middle?" She asked curiously, gazing at the photo.

"Yes, ma'am."

She nodded slightly, smiling as I flipped through many more pages filled with adolescence memories, the first girl I had ever kissed, a four leaf clover, a smiling image of my sisters and brothers, all eight of them including me. I then came to the picture I had been saving, the one that would only greet me with open gates to leading to my rough past. "This was me, right before I joined the Confederacy." I stated in a hollow tone, staring at the image of a military-dressed man.

Of course the Cullens knew of my past, but what they did know was only the parts I wanted them to. There were still many more secrets that only Alice would have recollection of, and I was thankful of that.

My crimson eyes met her golden ones for a few seconds, and soon it was obvious I was hiding my feelings from her. Tears slid down my face effortlessly as I hid my expression from the world with my shields for hands. "Oh, Jasper," she murmured sorrowfully. "Come here."

I did not oblige. I needed comfort right now, even if Alice could not give it to me and my unknown mother did. Her hands patted my back reassuringly, her soft coos of comforting thoughts and words the only things giving me hope at the moment. "I, I j-just needed you t-to understand that wh-where I come from is d-different th-than h-here."

"Oh, Jasper, I do understand." She told me in a soft, hopeful voice. "Nobody can blame you. It's a tough conversion, I'm sure. But you'll get it. You will, trust me. It will just take patience and an undying willpower. With a companion like Alice, you'll definitely get it sooner than later."

By now the tears had stopped. I stood up as did she, and embraced my mother in a hug. "Thank you." I whispered in her ear in a croaky voice unlike my own.

"You're welcome." She replied.

"Ma'—"

"Esme, please."

"Esme," I readdressed, looking at her in the eyes. "Please, I… I want to be ready to tell people when I am ready. Will you try—"

"I won't tell a soul." She told me, and I _did_ believe her. "I do think it would be in your best interest to go find a certain girl," She told me, patting my shoulder softly. "I'm sure she's seen some things in the past half hour that she's quite curious about. _You_ should go comfort _her_.


	3. 3 Some Leave Streaks Across Your Face

Esme was giving off warm waves of motherly love, and I couldn't help but keep them alive and burning inside me as I took the stairs two by two, returning to our bedroom to hold my dear Alice. Suddenly, the atmosphere changed. Nothing was warm and fuzzy anymore; It was bleak, confusing, and exasperated. Nothing made sense as I fed from the poor creature's emotions, trying to decipher them with a constantly-changing mind set as the emotions tried to make sense…

_Alice,_ I thought, running to the door. _Alice. Vision._

These two words rang through my head like a chiming grandfather as I turned the doorknob. She was sitting in the square middle of the bed, her back to the door, her eyes staring blankly out the window. Her mouth was moving swiftly; she was uttering low, unconnected phrases… They didn't make sense together, but she was obviously pained from what she was seeing.

I rushed over the bed, pulling her into my lap as I sat down on the bed. "Alice," I whispered softly in her ear, moving a loose strand of hair from her vision line. "Alice, I need you to listen to me. What do you see?" I asked methodically, digging deep for some hope and calmness. "Explain to me what you see," I tried again, nudging her softly under her jaw with my nose. Nothing. Her eyes were locked in the same spot, never flinching, never moving.

Suddenly she cried out, softly and what sounded like painfully. "Alice?" I questioned, my grip on her growing tighter. "Alice, what is it, sweetheart?"

"It's them! It's—It's HER!" she cried, squirming in my locked hands. "And she's turning you in… They're… They're coming to get you! No! Don't run!"

Alice continued, to my dismay, to scream random words to form similar sentences, each of them involving a certain woman who was after what appeared to be me. After what seemed like a century and a half, she snapped out it. Her honey-golden eyes refocused on me, and she looked around the room wildly. "Jasper!" she whispered, pressing her face against my chest. "Oh, Jasper, it was awful, just awful!"

"Shh, darlin'," I muttered softly to her. "She won't get me. I won't dare run."

"But.. But you didn't see… You didn'—"

I cut her off, gripping her shoulders softly yet with no resistance. "Your visions change based on what people decide to do. This could all turn out to be a farce."

Alice seemed to consider this, taking in the words that I was saying and thinking about the truth in them. "But… But what if everything comes true? You… You didn't have to see it."

"No," I answered calmly. "I had to feel it."

"Oh…. Oh, Jazz, I'm so-so-sorry…" She muttered, kissing the base of my neck. "I, I didn't realize I was focused on my visions and here you are, suffering and—"

"Don't worry about it." I told her in a soft, southern voice. "It's our job to protect each other. Let's just stick to that as a basic rule, a game plan. If we do that, we'll be perfectly fine." I had to find the strength to reassure myself instead of just her, but, hey, it was seeming to work. Since I was giving her hope, she gained hope, which gave me hope to feed off of. It was a cycle, and a wonderful one at that. "So, Alice, what did you actually see?" I asked softly, stroking her face.

"It was a lady by the name of Maria." I stiffed drastically, pulling away from her loving touch, my eyes growing large. "And… And she was angry. Extremely angry. She was enraged that you left her and defied her rules, and _their_ laws. She's… Well, she _might_, come looking for you."

I couldn't possibly moved, even if I had wanted nothing more than to. Maria had done more to me, had made me go through more torture than _any_ being should have to go through, to scar me for life with her memory. Even when she had given me pleasure, the memories from those scarce times caused a chill to drip down my narrow spine. "Jazz, What's wrong?" I heard Alice ask softly, noticing that I looked nothing like her previous emotions. "Jazz, talk… talk to me!"

But I couldn't. I just couldn't. I was paralyzed with fear, of old threats now screaming at me through one ear and out the other, each one growing with intensity of both rage and volume. Then a thought hit me, and a plan was already beginning to form in my mind.

"Alice," I finally whispered, her worried expression clearing some. "I have to leave." I slowly got up and began packing a few essentials including clothes, a bag of gun powder, a gun barrel, and other bare necessities.

"Wh-What? L-Leave?"

"Yes," I mumbled, trying to hide my emotions behind a stony mask. "Leave. I must. You aren't safe with me around. It's my number one job to protect and save you. And I sure as hell can't do that when I'm around you. I have to be at a safe distance, don't you see?"

Her next words came out in a stony tone. "What happened to the Jasper that just said my visions don't always come true? That, hey, I shouldn't worry about it? What happened to _him?_"

"I was saying that to calm you down; I can't bear to see you upset."

"But you can bear lying to me."

"Alice, it's not like that."

"Jazz, you can't leave me." Her voice cracked, and I could nearly hear the invisible tears fighting their urge to spill onto her beautiful face.

I was at the door, rummaged suitcase in hand and cap on. "I will see you again," I told her, gripping her hand and planting a single kiss on it. "But it's best for _both_ of us if I just leave now."

And with that, I turned on my heel and exited the room, slipping silently and nearly unnoticed through the door into the dangerous world I had hoped to never have to resort to again.


	4. 4 Others Merely Play With Foreplay

Alice POV  
I was frozen at the cracked door, my body unable to move. He was gone. Jasper. He was gone. I was finally realizing it. He was gone, and, and he wouldn't be back for a while. He was risking his existence to protect mine…

I suddenly felt way too important, like a precious jewel hid from society and preserved in some unknown substance. But Jasper was out there, vulnerable, emotional, and, all the while, scared. _I_ was scared… My over-protective fool was not here to do his job; What if Maria came here to find Jasper and came up empty handed? What would she be capable of doing then? Would my knight in southern armor come racing to the rescue? Or would I be alone, left only to fend for myself?

Shaking my head, I tried to get rid of those thoughts. All the while, invisible tears were streaming down my face, sobs choking my very throat. Soon I was on my knees, curling myself into a small clump like I had done so many times in that retched asylum I had once been confined to. I needed my Jazz. I needed him to hold me, to reassure me that everything was going to be okay even though I knew better than to believe him. It was so much easier to just give in to temptation, to take the bait and go with the unknown and impossible. Looking at reality, I would much rather believe a lie than have to live with the facts.

"Alice?" A light knock echoed softly on my door; I looked up to see a curious Edward. His eyebrows were wrinkled together, confusion taking over his perfectly pale face. "Alice, what's wrong? Where's Jasper?"

I didn't even look up as I muttered, "He's gone. He left me. He said he's protecting me. It was all a silly little vision…" The words came out quick and jumbled together; even I had a hard time understanding what I had said. Soon Edward was kneeling next to me, the same expression clear on his face.

"Your thoughts _don't_ give you away," He said, playing with his hands slightly. I stole a quick glance at him, wondering why he was telling me this. "It's weird, most people's do. Now, would you like to tell me exactly what happened?" Edward sat down, not exactly welcoming me in but not pushing me away. At this point I was shaking. I tried to move towards him, but ended up merely lying on the floor pathetically. He finally picked me up lightly, setting me in his lap.

The tears seemed to become more prominent as I described to Edward what had exactly happened, how fifteen minutes ago everything seemed normal up until now, which seemed nothing but. I had never thought that I would ever have to see a new day without my mate. He had saved me, and now he was trying to again. Jasper had already done so much for me; It was so painful to be without him, to not have the reassuring fact that he would always be there for me. I knew now that I could possibly be without him for quite some time, and perhaps, horribly, forever.

"Alice?" Edward broke my train of thought, and I was so thankful for it; they were only leading to more devastating ones. "It's my understanding that he truly does love you. From his thoughts, he couldn't humanely bare a single day without your emotions, your presence, your being. Jasper's doing this for _your_ own good; It's tearing him up inside and out to leave you. He has to re-enter his past; You have no idea how terrifying that is for him. But he's willing to go back. And why? For you."

I had honestly never thought of it that way. I was too absorbed with the pain and destruction to my own pain and woe that I hadn't even taken two seconds to think of his. Was it because he wasn't here, or because I simply didn't care anymore?

"You're so important to him, Alice." Edward probed, stroking a strand of soft, spiky hair. "You'll definitely be seeing each other soo—" He was cut off at my sudden movement. I was sitting straight up, stiff as a board. My eyes were unfocused on the open door in front of us, seeing a scene that was at least a few hundred miles away from Alaska. "Alice?" He asked, sitting straighter as well. "Alice, what do you see?"

"It's… It's Jasper," I muttered in a strained voice. "Maria is… She's trying to get him back… She's… She's seducing him with… blood! Human blood! And other pleasures… And then it goes all blank."

"He's indecisive," Edward commented in a grave voice. "He knows better, but is considering it."

"No!"

"Yes." His voice was grim. "Alice, we've got to go find him before he makes the biggest mistake of his existence."

Before Edward could even stand up, I was out the front door, racing frantically to wherever my next vision would lead me. I could distinctly hear Edward behind me. He—and my visions—would be my only guide in this world of sudden uncertainty.


	5. 5 Unexpected Events Are Sure To Arise

Maria's POV

_He'll come running back to me. He'll have to. Every General needs their time to shine. Unfortunately, Whitlock never got his. But he will… As long as he promises to come back to me. After everything that I did for him, after all the privileges and pleasures, he better…. He'd be a fool not to, a fool and a coward._

My senses led me down through a think grass, leading to what seemed to be a lake. It was quiet and the air smelled appetizing, almost as if someone had thrown a perfect seasoning into it; It made the never-aging long for food again.

Around and around my eyes darted, searching for any sign of my ex general. He had to be around here somewhere. His scent was clearly marked. Jasper had been here before and, if I wasn't mistaking, it wasn't too long ago. The one thing I didn't understand was why he was here. It just didn't add up. Jasper had run away, against my wishes, to a cruel and harsh world. He had done a great job of staying away from me, so I just couldn't grasp on to any logical reason on why he would want to come back. Were the memories of his "tormented" past just begging him to return? I had a feeling that I would soon find out an answer to this question—and many more—soon.

For quite a while everything was silent and still as nature took its course for the living creatures. If I were still human, I would have thought that it was a perfect evening. Almost too perfect.

"Maria?"

I turned around only to come face to face with my General; He looked more beautiful than I had remembered him. His honey-golden locks hung around his pale face, shaping it perfectly, while the rest was cut willingly at the nape of his neck. His eyes were bleeding crimson, and this pleased me very much: Jasper had just finished hunting, and he would be much easier to persuade this way. "Jasper," I smiled, standing up. "It's been quite a while since I've seen you."

"Yes, it has." Jasper stood there, bearing his ground. _Shouldn't he be more comfortable around me, or at least more than he is?_ I thought questioningly, cocking one eyebrow against my sun-burnt skin.  
"Jasper, is there something you'd wish to speak to me about? You needn't be so confined around me. I'm not angry with you anymore."

"Maria, I know what you're up to. Please don't pity us both with your lies. They'll help no one but your lack of self esteem."

I was stunned. "Quite strong words for cowardly man, running away from their commander as if they had no responsibility to them at all. You betrayed me, Jasper Whitlock. But all you can do is push the blame on somebody else. And who would that be? Oh, I believe instead of apologizing you're putting the weight of your responsibilities on the one being who has loved you most."

"That's a lie!" His voice was raised and strong. "My life with you was nothing, Maria. Nothing!" he spat, his emotions clear in his words. "You gave me half of these scars and you know it. Don't play dumb with me."

I wasn't in the mood for any of this. He was easily replaceable. I was just being the bigger person and giving him a second chance. _Well, let's see how bad he wants this. Damned people get what's coming to them sooner or later._ "Jasper, I've been searching for you for a rea—"

"I know, Maria."

"You do?" My voice raised on the last word. An unexpected kink had developed in my plan.

"Yes."

"Would you care to explain to me how?"

"No, I really rather would not. But I know exactly what you're doing. And I have a clan who is willing to protect me against all odds. Back off, Maria." Low growls were echoing through his chest.

"And…" I stepped forward, twirling a finger through his golden locks. "What if I refuse?" I giggled lightly, pushing myself against him.

Jasper pulled back, gripping my wrists. "Then you'll be sadly mistaken and taken aback, ma'am. I'm giving you a fair warning now. Leave, and you'll never have to hear this again."

This was it. He was taking this too far. He had too much power over me and I wasn't going to deal with it. I hissed loudly, sinking back into a battle position that he knew too well. I wasn't sure how good a battle between us would be, for he had learned everything from me, his master. We would just have to wait and see the outcome.

We circled for a few minutes, staring at each other with secretive eyes. Nimble on my feet, I jumped into the air, preparing to jump on his chest and dig my nails into his shoulders with no mercy. But the next movement was anything but expected. An unknown-- and potentially lethal—pixie flew through the air, her body in a perfect attack position as she crashed down on my chest.


	6. 6 As Your Mind Plays With Your Humanity

Jasper's POV

Maria was angling in, her vulture eyes zooming into mine, capturing my full attention before pouncing towards me with every ounce of secrecy she had once taught me to fight with. I was hot on my hackles, ready to pounce in for the kill, before all hell broke loose. Something flew past me, riding on wind currents, to attack Maria, forcing her to the ground with an uncanny sense of timing and ferocity. My mind racing, I quickly got to my feet and gazed at the peculiar scene: My dear Alice, the one who I had ran from in order to protect _her_, was on top of a fighting Maria, who looked as shocked and disoriented as I did. My pixie was fighting _my_ battle. _She_ had no reason to be doing this! _I_ was the one trying to protect _her_, not vice versa!

I first attempted to move Alice out of harm's way, gripping her arms and tugging without getting caught in the vicious battle myself. It was pointless, like trying to take a cheetah from her recently-caught prey. Every few seconds, teeth would come snap down close to my face, my well-trained military mind directing my body with what to do at the exact time I should do it. "Jasper, let me do this!" Alice growled at me, her senses clearly taking over her right mind sense as her actions became more lethal.

"No." I growled back, clawing at Maria's face. "This is my battle, Alice! You can't fight it for me! I don't want you to get hurt! I can't have you get hurt. There'd be no me without you!"

The whole while, Alice and Maria were fighting and punching, kicking and biting at on another while my and my wife's voices raged over the noises coming from the two of them. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore. I jumped on top of a desperate looking Maria, knocking Alice to the ground besides me. A hint of death was clear in her eyes; we both knew where the light at the end of the tunnel was, and she would be seeing it sooner than I.

_Killing one your soldiers is like killing one of your siblings. _

Maria had first told me this when I became the general of the army we had raised together. And now it was finally happening. I was going to kill one of my own, and I was going to have to either live with the guilt or live with the fact that I was doing the best for myself and my new family.

My fingernails were digging deeper and deeper into her shoulder blades as more fury-powered thoughts raged through my mind. I was kneeling on top of my once commanding chief. I was going to rid her of her damned existence. And I was going to do it with pleasure and a sense of remorse. It was almost like I had found a fake cure for cancer: The thought was that the initial disease would be gone, but there would always be the fear of a new killer illness, looming in the shadows, just waiting to pounce.

_Jasper, if you're going to do this, you might as well get on with it. You're not a coward; You can definitely do this. No point in prolonging the moment. Just rip her up and start a fire. It's as easy as 1, 2, 3…_

My body was filled with endless rage, rage because Maria had come searching for me. Rage because Alice had had to see an unknowing future that was potentially lethal. Rage that my old comrade at come to seek me, knowing that I never wanted to see her lying face again. Rage for putting my dear Alice and family in danger, for causing me to feel guilty about killing her, for giving me a memory book of haunting memories that were sure to never leave me and a lifetime of scars I would forever have to look back on to remind me of my gruesome past that I would rather read out of a story book and feel remorse for an unknown figure than have to live with the cold, hard facts myself.

"Maria, you're damn lucky I'm about to do what my charismatic conscious is telling me to do." I snarled in her face, baring my deadly white teeth in her face. "Now, you listen to me." I scraped my razor-sharp canine against her neck, and I could feel her shudder uncomfortably underneath me. "Never try to seek me again. If we do cross paths by mere chance, you should begin running as soon as you sense me. And never, ever—" I glared right into her eyes with hate-filled ones of my own. "try to do anything to my family." Digging my nails deeper into her shoulders, I kicked her out from underneath me and watched her run off, catching only her blurring figure.

I spun around, holding my arms out as my eyes darted back and forth to find my pixie. She was nowhere to be seen, and this fact, knowing that I just let go of a dangerous demon, scared the absolute hell out of me.


	7. 7 Stereotypical Endings Are In Sight

Alice's POV

I sprinted through the trees, my emotions directing me where to go as the dense, dead foliage blurred past me; It was as if I were looking through tears I would never be able to have. If truth be told, I wasn't sure why I wasn't so upset. Sure, there were many reasons as to why I should be upset: Jasper had left me (for my own good, of course) "temporarily"; When I came to his rescue, he didn't want me to fight _his_ battles for him; I had had to see what Maria had planned to do to him. Every single thing that could have gone wrong had indeed gone wrong. But, surprisingly enough, I wasn't too upset. In fact, I was suddenly tranquil, an emotion I didn't trust, not with my empath roaming about.

Slowing my pace down, I found myself in the middle of a clearing, a few trees here and there, scattered about like birdseed. The distinct trickle of a stream whispered through the pines. I knew that, at any point, a vision could grace me, though this worried me: I was as vulnerable as prey out here, and being temporarily distracted with nothing to prepare me for an attack would not be good.

My keen senses picked up his near-silent sprint as he neared my location, stopping with perfect ease in front of me. He nodded his head once, waiting for my reaction. Slowly, carefully, I nodded back, before rushing into his arms. There was so much emotion in the mere touch that I felt as if I could cry true tears, although I knew this would never be possible. "Jasper," I whispered, beginning to sound like a broken record as I echoed the single world over and over again. "Jasper Jasper Jasper." He answered by placing his lips on the crown of my skull, rubbing his thumb smoothly across my comparable shoulder.

"Alice," He began, but I cut him off by placing my index finger over his delectable lips. "Shhh." I whispered. "I know you're sorry. I understand… Most everything. Please, can we just… Go home? I'm sure Esme is worried about us. Edward is, too. In fact, the whole family probably is."

He nodded once. I outstretched my hand, much like the lucky day where I had first met him in that historical diner. Jasper took it without thinking, feeling hope again for yet another century we were only about to begin.


End file.
